


Skinny Love

by tyrantsandcreampuffs



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 17,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyrantsandcreampuffs/pseuds/tyrantsandcreampuffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of prompts. Makorra.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. green

#3:  _green_  (Mako)

* * *

It always reminded him of Bolin.

Then it would remind him of the trees he would look up to on the rare occasion he brought his younger brother to the park. Vicariously, it reminded him of hope—that he and his Bolin would get through; that their circumstance wouldn't pull them into the darkness completely. When they were younger, it was looking into those green eyes of Bolin that would soften his resolve. Since their parents died, he had to shoulder the responsibility of making sure Bolin was taken care of—and second, of making sure that he was never, in any way, unhappy.

Now, Bolin's green eyes were twinkling with mirth as he twirled around the girl in blue. He sits in a stool at the bar, observing the rest of his surroundings—or maybe, just  _her_  and _him_  having fun in the middle of the dance floor. He would maybe describe her as pretty, but then, he never thought of her in  _that_  way. Sure, he acknowledged the fact that she was indeed a girl, but she was always so rough and tough and so headstrong, that he failed to see that underneath that strong personality of hers, she could be a…lady.

And oh, how she could be. He thought that at more formal events, she would simply act like her usual self and shrug off all those mannerisms, but  _no_. She was acting proper and decent and…not like her. He might not have recognized her at first with her in a blue dress and her hair down and the slightest trace of make-up on her face, but then her lips quirked up and she bared her teeth and—and he just  _knew_  it was her.

He knows all these things, but he doesn't know what to make of the warmth gathering in his gut.

And he can't explain the pang in his chest as he watches his little brother be happy with the girl…the girl that stirs all these weird feelings in him. He promised himself that he'd make sure that Bolin must be happy—he must always be happy, but  _it just wasn't fair, damn it_. He wants to be happy, too. And he knows that Korra's the only one who could make him so, but…

The song ends and the people in the dance floor applauds the band. The people playing with brass instruments are quickly replaced with those who play stringed instruments, and as Mako looks from the stage to the floor, he knows this isn't going to end well—at least for him.

He wants to be selfish, wants to stand up from his seat and walk up to them and pull them apart and tell Korra that he…that he…he doesn't know.

Green was hope. Bolin was supposed to be the one to give him that, but he looks back to the dance floor and he sees his brother holding Korra closely— _too close_  for his own comfort, but he never thought of that when it came to Bolin. Mako grips his glass tighter and can feel the fluid inside bubble at the heat he releases from his hand because— _there_ , he's feeling it again when he sees the two of them like that.

He continues to look at them—even shares this, this  _electrifying_  look with Korra. That is, before his own brother leans in and, and—steals  _a kiss_. Korra's eyes widen, and he can just see the flood of emotions run through her blue eyes before she closes them and the connection is cut, and Mako just feels so… _crushed_. By the hand of the one he's been trying to protect for years, no less.

After breathing in and out, he stands from his seat and simply leaves—not to go back to their small apartment, no. He might bring her back there, and he…he wouldn't be able to handle it. He's been roaming around the city streets and alleyways for years—what would one night be compared to those other harsh times?

He breathes out again—and this time, with fire.

It's always Bolin.


	2. what requited means

#7:  _what requited means_  (Korra)

* * *

She pushes him away with all the strength she has, but still she's gentle because they're in a crowd and he's Bolin and— _did he just kiss her?_

"Bolin, you—"

Immediately, he puts his hands up defensively because she looks like she's just received the biggest shock of her life, like she's just been hit with lightning—and she might be thinking of redirecting it to him. "No, Korra, please don't think of it that way. I like you, but not in  _that_  way, I guess, not in the way Mako does, and—"

"You kissed me. Why did you kiss me?" Her words splutter and just _spill_  over both of them, very much like she's bent a storm over their heads. She grabs his arm and drags him all the way out of the hall. She'd deal with Tenzin's inquisition later, but right now…she puts her head into her hands after she releases her hold on Bolin and groans into them. "I have boy issues. I'm the Avatar, and I have boy issues. I have to deal with the rest of the world, but I can't even deal with a guy!"

Korra raises her head with as much poise as a swimming bison—and that wasn't much, really. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, and she raises her hand to bend them away. "I'm crying. Why am I crying?" she whispers, barely audible to the both of them because her emotions were getting in the way. _Again_.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, Korra!" Bolin cries, flailing his arms to get her attention. "I just did that to make sure—" But his words are cut off when Korra shoved him onto the wall and bends the ground beneath him to lock him in place. He doesn't even attempt to bend it back because he can see that she's seething—there were small puffs of smoke as she exhaled—and more importantly, she was confused—her blue eyes never betray her.

"Let's try this again,  _Bolin_. Why did you kiss me?" She tries to be composed when she asks that, but her voice wavers, and she chokes back a sob because she  _didn't know what to do_.

"I…just wanted to make sure that it wasn't requited."

"What do you mean?"

"I like you, Korra. I really do. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were…special. And I think Makko thinks so, too, and I wanted to...make sure that you liked him and not me." He blinks his eyes and tries to look away, but that baffled look in her eyes is just so adorable and he couldn't tear his eyes away; the temptation to tease her was there, but he didn't want to confuse her any more than he already had. "Did that make any sense…?"

"You didn't have to kiss me, you idiot!" she barks back, bending the ground back to its normal state—save for the cracked tiles. "You could've just asked; I would've told you! And now Mako thinks…he thinks that you, and me; that we…"

Bolin grits his teeth and furrows his thick eyebrows unattractively. "It's my fault; I'm sorry, Korra. It's just that I love Mako so much. He's my brother and he's been so unselfish and gave me everything just to keep me safe. It's my only chance to repay him because…he deserves to be happy. With you, Korra." He scratches the back of his head at the lousiness of his speech, but means every word of it. "It's harsh being rejected this way—come on, I practically rejected myself! Mako's probably somewhere out there, being harsh on himself. You could at least…not be like him in that aspect."

"I need to find him," Korra declares, slipping off her shoes. She airbends the damned heels and sets it on fire, definitely intimidating Bolin. "I need to clear this up with him. And you, Bolin, you aren't going with me, bud."

And as she sprints away from the fancy building, bare foot and disheveled hair and all, Bolin stares at her back, imagines his older brother running with her. He smiles to himself—and also for  _them_.

"I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."


	3. benches and fences

#16:  _benches and fences_  (Mako and Korra)

* * *

He sits on a bench in an obscure part of the park. Though it doesn't have that great a view of Yue Bay, it's still his favorite. This was where he would sit—and occasionally sleep—with Bolin and  _hide_  from their troubles and the rest of the world. And it frustrates him how even though he's managed to alleviate their living conditions, he still has to go to this place to run away. From her, someone he didn't expect to affect his world at all.

The frustration seeping in again, he stands and paces in front of the bench until he realizes that nothing he's doing could calm him—and he starts to burn stray dried leaves scattered across the grass. He usually wouldn't do something like that in a place he considers sacred, but. Apparently, anything Korra-related could overpower his feelings for other things.

It doesn't surprise him as much as it should, he knows, and that just adds to the aggravation he feels.

* * *

 

It doesn't take her long to find him. After all, Bolin told her a lot of their past. He didn't seem to have as much trust issues as his brother does, but she can only imagine how much of a burden Mako had to handle when he was only eight years old or so.

The path to their secret hideout—as Bolin calls it—was hidden by a wild bush and covered in fallen branches and leaves. It wasn't the prettiest place, but Korra likes to think that to someone who wanted to escape reality, it was the perfect sanctuary.

And she sees him, in all his formal-attire glory. And the scowl on his face makes her feel so,  _so_  guilty, but she doesn't call him out on it  _yet_  because he was handsome that way and she feels weird and queasy looking at him like that, but she couldn't help it because  _she likes him_.

She likes him, and she was pathetic and the Avatar and he…he was such an idiot.

It doesn't take long for her to give into calling his name, either.

"Mako."

* * *

He turns around at the sound of his name being called out by an apparition—because it couldn't possibly be her. It's his mind tricking him again, and he feels his desperation, and seeing her  _there_ , just a few meters away from him—it  _hurts_  him. And he's scared,  _terrified_  at the idea of her being there, so he tries to fight his fears.

And throws a fire ball at her image.

And how surprised he is when she manages to bend the fire away from her and extinguish it with her own water. What do you know,  _it's Korra_. He wants to smile and rush up to her and hug her—though it's totally out of character, he still wants to do all those to her because…he still didn't know. He wants to do all those, but she looks petrified in her place, like she couldn't believe that he had just tried to hit her.

He couldn't believe it either.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she manages to scream, keeping her hands still at her sides. "You just tried to burn me, Mako!"

Yeah, he did. He frowns, thinking that he's already berating himself for it—she needn't repeat it.

He doesn't find any response, so instead he chooses to look at her, trying to find something in her accusing blue eyes. And he expects her to look away, but she returns his gaze and he realizes just how  _beautiful_  she looks with her hair windswept from the running she might have done and with her dress all wrinkled up and the full moon above them and making her dark skin glow in such an ethereal way and he…

He still didn't know.

"What are you doing here?" He doesn't mean to sound sarcastic or mean, but he's angry and he can't help it because  _she_  had to be the one to see him so vulnerable. "You should be at the party. You were the guest of honor, after all. It's not good for you to forgo your responsibilities just to have a stroll in the park,  _Avatar_."

And he sees her closing her eyes, gritting her teeth, but oddly enough, not moving. She opens her eyes again, and this time it's more of an icy blue than the calm cerulean that matches her profile.

"But you, Mako, you left!" she blurts out, ire lacing her tone. "I want to talk to you—"

"I wasn't wanted there anyway. Where's Bolin?"

"Back at your apartment. But he doesn't have anything to do with what I have to tell you—"

"You left him? But you and him—"

"We're friends," she says, and suddenly she's a step ahead. He backs up and sits on the bench, and again, there's that indignant expression on her face. "And I like you."

* * *

She's surprised at her own confession because the thought of her actually telling him her feelings has never crossed her mind. But it's true—she  _does_  like him. The spirits forbid, she's the Avatar and she just wants to forget about the rest of the world because she's content with  _just him_.

But no, that's not possible.

"You can't like me."

She doesn't deal with rejection well. Having had everything she asked for—except, maybe, freedom—since she was younger, she doesn't know what to do when this  _guy_  is the only thing she could possibly want in this whole damned city—and she can't have him, apparently.

"I think I'm entitled to my own feelings!" she cries in defense, taking another step forward and looking away from his scrutinizing gaze. "And I just thought…that you wanted to know. Okay, you know what?  _No_. Admit it, Mako. You like me."

"I don't—"

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because what you did was private and I felt like I was intruding—"

"There were a hundred other people around us!" she shouts, keeping her ground. "You're just making up excuses, Mako! Stop doing this…this. Going here, running away. You're one of the strongest people I know, and it amazes me how someone like me could faze you—"

"Oh, that's so like you, Korra! To get ahead of yourself and think that  _it's all about you_. Typical, since you're the Avatar—but I thought you were better than that, but you keep proving me wrong about so many things, and…" He pauses when he sees her cry. She thought,  _oh shit, no, not now_ , but the tears were streaming down and she felt so helpless at his words. "Korra, I didn't mean that," he immediately amends. "Korra,  _shit_ , stop crying,  _please_."

He stands up with his lips parted, and she runs to him and almost tackles him back down onto the bench from the force, but he kept them both standing. Korra wraps her arms around his torso and it takes him more than a second to register what she just did—but raises his own arms to return her hug.

Korra knows that she isn't supposed to cry—at the most stupidest of things, like this stupid boy in front of her, but she's so sure of herself, of her feelings. "You're such an idiot," she manages to croak. "But I still like you."

He doesn't know what to say to that—no, he does, but he doesn't think  _I think I like you, too_ , could suffice for someone like her.

"You keep running away. Just when I think I could finally understand you because I think I managed to make you trust me, you just go ahead and ignore me and my efforts are wasted and…I don't know where we stand anymore. You keep on…building fences around you."

"Fences? Not walls?"

"No, I've never tried to destroy fences before."

"Oh." For the first time in the entire night, Mako finds it in himself to smile, and he pulls her even closer to him. "I'm not…good at those things, Korra. Honestly. But I'll try."  _For you_ , he adds as an afterthought.

And when Korra stops sniffling against his chest, he pulls a way— _just a bit_ —and plants a kiss on her forehead before engulfing her in his arms again. She sighs contently and thanks the spirits that her plan ended in her favor.

They're not  _there_  yet— _just_  at the level of a mutual understanding that they  _do_  have something, even if both of them have no clue what it is exactly and what it should mean for them, but it's definitely  _there_ , no matter how many times they try to deny it.

It's not perfect, but it's a start.

 


	4. minutes

#12:  _minutes_  (Mako)

* * *

"Korra's drunk again," Bolin mutters, shaking his head in his palm. "But I'm not sure. I think…I think she'd still do that. You know, even if she's not drunk."

Mako glares tactlessly at his younger brother with a click of his tongue. "You're drunk, too."

Bolin smiles, and then hiccups—and then laughs so loudly that everyone else in the room stops from what they're doing just to look at the crazed earthbender—even Korra, who has been jumping on the bed for a good five minutes now.

"That was…that was, uh, two hundred and forty-eight!  _Nooooo_!" she screams in frustration and jumps one more time, lands on the bed on her front. She rolls around and pulls at her hair, crying, "How am I going to— _hiccup_ —beat my record now? Huh, Bolin? Oh, you ruin everything!"

"Sweetheart," Bolin starts, walking—actually,  _stumbling_ —to the Avatar. "You  _are_  exaggerating. If I ruined  _everything_  for you, I'd eat my hat."

"Naga ate your hat an hour ago!"

"Indeed, she did! But, Korra, I—"

Mako doesn't want to hear another word of their drunken conversation—if only to give them some dignity and to spare himself from further embarrassment if ever he got dragged into their mess. Instead, he walks calmly out of the room hoping to escape his predicament—only to end up bumping into the person who invited them to make a fool of themselves.

"Asami," he grunts, annoyed.

"Hey, Mako-o," she replies with a smile, poking his chest. "What? You're leaving already? Not enjoying my birthday bash, are you?" At this, she puts on a pout. She opens the door to her room and pushes him back in and grins when she sees…something.

Immediately, Mako is gripping his fists.

"So, I told him that he couldn't just boss me around! You know Mako, don't you, Tahno? He's always like that!"

Tahno takes this opportunity to put his face closer to her flushed one. "Yeah, I know. Someone like him—doesn't deserve you…on their team, I mean." Then he steps back, hands her a rose, and takes off, following another Wolfbats teammate of his. Korra giggles and runs back to the bed, jumping while twirling the rose in her hand.

From the other side of the room, Tahno throws Mako a smirk and…whips his hair.

"That overconfident ass—"

Asami whistles before another curse comes out of her friend's mouth. "Someone's jealous," she coos, balancing herself on her toes. "As expected, but don't worry, Mako! I have a plan."

She winks at him before announcing to everyone else in the room that they were going to play a game. Mako groans and suppresses the urge to throttle Thano, Asami, Bolin—and most especially, Korra.

"Everyone, form a circle at the center!" she calls out, waving a hand over her head. And she turns around just when Mako decides to quietly creep out of the room. "And you, Mako! Come here!"

Since there's absolutely nothing he could do to go against the wishes of the birthday celebrant, he obliges. Bolin comes up to his brother and sits down, dragging Mako down to the floor with him.

"Oh, this is going to be fun—I can tell!"

"I can tell that you're drunk."

"Mako, you are such a party pooper!" Bolin declared, hugging Mako's arm. Then, he looked up and saw the Avatar floating above all of them on a ball of air she bent herself. "Hey, hey, Korra! Come sit beside us!"

Korra, in all her drunken stupor, puts her tongue out and places herself beside Tahno. Tahno puts his arm around her shoulder and grins wickedly. Korra, unconscious of her actions, cuddles and, and—

"Yo, Asami!  _Asaaaaamiiii_!" Bolin shouts to his almost-girlfriend with panic. "There's a threat— _hiccup_ —fire! Fire! I'm on  _fiiiiiiiiire_!"

Asami runs to the side of her…almost-boyfriend and presses different points on his brother, temporary cancelling his bending abilities. Mako breaks from his trance and punches Bolin's side in contempt. Bolin clutches it for a second, but with his almost-girlfriend supporting him beside him, he doesn't feel the pain as much and smiles instead.

"Someone's jealous," he giggles— _giggles_ —to her.

"I know," she laughs back, and stands up to face the people she's invited. "Okay, guys, thank you all for coming to my birthday celebration! And I know it's not so surprising that you all fit in my room, but…" She stops to point at the door near one corner of the room. "That closet can only fit two people! And you know what this is leading to, don't you guys?"

The teenagers around the circle all cheers and claps their hands.  _Definitely all drunk_ , Mako thinks, scrunching up his nose from the stench of alcohol.

"Seven minutes in the— _hiccup_ —spirit world!" Korra pumps her fist in the air and accidentally shakes the ground beneath her. "Oh, oops. I love that game!"

Asami walks to the middle and puts down her favorite training baton. "Okay, for our first game, we get one guy or girl as the initial victim—I mean, lucky fella! And then we spin my lovely baton to see who he or she gets to be stuck with for seven minutes in the spirit world. Any complaints?"

Mako is about to raise his hand, but Bolin slaps— _slams_ —it back down to his lap.

"Good!" Asami clasps her hands in delight, and jumps in her place. "Any volunteers?"

"Oh, me, me! Pick  _me_ —I'm the Avatar!" Korra leaps—but really, airbends—to the center and almost falls, had it not been for Asami there to support her weight. "I think as one of your closest friends, Asami, I should get the— _hiccup_ —privilege of going first!"

 _Oh no_. Mako bites his lower lip (attractively, at that) and grips the carpet underneath him. He wants to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she comes back to her senses, but against his better judgment, he remains seated in his place.

"Sure, Korra," Asami acquiesces her. "Go ahead into the closet."

Korra squeals and proceeds to… _skip_  her way to the quaint room.

"Now that that's done, let's spin this baby!" And she kicks the stick and it magically spins in place. "Remember that only guys are applicable for this round—even though Korra's Korrasexual, as she claims, or whatever."

After a minute of spinning (Asami was  _that_  strong), it stops and points to…

"I'm not going in there with her."

"Come on, bro, everyone knows that you want to!"

"I said, Bolin,  _no_."

"Well, you don't have a choice," Asami says, her arms crossed over her chest. "Bolin, if you'd do the honor?"

"It'd be my pleasure," he replies—and Mako realizes that Bolin isn't as drunk as he led on. "Sorry, bro. I love you, but this is just a priceless opportunity." As he finishes his statement, the ground underneath him shakes and pushes him into the small room. The impact of his back against the concrete wall knocks the breath out of him for a second, but when he gets back up on his feet and rushes to open the door, he finds it locked. He pounds his fists on it, cursing his brother.

"Bolin, is this some sort of prank? Get us the hell out of here!" He tries to set the door aflame, but it's no use—Asami's chi-blocking is still in effect. "Bolin, get me out of here!"

"No, no! Mako, you're going to ruin the party!" Bolin answers from the other side. "And you'll upset Asami. Come on, bro, don't do that to my…girlfriend." He turns around to see Asami unfazed by his comment and shrugs. "Anyway, the point is that you stay there for seven minutes—"

"The point? No, Bolin, you listen right here—that is  _not_  the point!"

"It's called 'Seven Minutes in The Spirit World' for a reason, Mako!"

"This is a closet, not the spirit world, you dolt! It doesn't count!"

"Well…" Mako hears Bolin and Asami snigger. "You have the Avatar in there with you! Make her bring you guys there or something…if you know what I mean." Then, Asami and Bolin laughs so loudly that it reverberates in the small room—irritating the firebender even more. He resorts to kicking the door with his boot before turning around only to find Korra unconscious near a stack of boxes.

He looks at his watch. It's only been a minute.

 


	5. trapped in a room

#18:  _trapped in a room_  (Korra)

* * *

She stirs from her short-lived nap when she hears a string of curses by a familiar voice. She sits upright, and hiccups, before succumbing to a fit of giggles.

She hears a groan and another kick to the door and she stops her tittering and frowns. "Now what is  _your_  problem?" she demands, hands on her hips. "We're in the spirit world! You have to… _ssh_ , be respectful."

A  _thud_  on the floor from the weight of Mako going down, and then: "Not you, too, damn it. You— _we're_  in a closet, not the damned spirit world—"

"Now you shut your mouth!" she shouts defensively. "My previous incarnations might hear you!"

"Korra!" The guy she's trapped with,  _Mako_ , reaches for her shoulder and shakes her not so gently. "We are in a closet, trapped by Bolin and Asami because they are conniving ferrets and they just want to get on my last nerve—"

"Ferret! You, Mako, are a ferret, aren't you?" Her speech is quite slurred, but accusing, all the same. She reaches for the hand on her shoulder and slaps it away. "And you! For a ferret, you're so, so… _vain_. I mean, your hair! I bet you spend like, twenty minutes a day just trying to style it that way—unlike Tahn-Tahn, who's born with it—"

"Tahn-Tahn?"

"Tahno! You know, the pretty boy who gave me— _hiccup_ —that rose! He's so sweet, unlike you!" She gets up on her feet and struggles to stay up, but she slides down back on the floor, her back on one of the boxes. "See, you won't even help me!"

He's silent and she puts her legs up to stretch. She thinks he's looking away, but just to be sure, she kicks at the space where his head should be and, sure enough, she hits him.

"What the hell was that for?"

"For being so vain! I mean,  _Fire Ferrets_? Why can't it be  _Earth Ferrets_  instead or something?"

"It was named after Pabu, not me, Korra!"

"Pabu?" she asks, with a tone of innocence— _drunken_ innocence. "Is she your firebending girlfriend or something!"

"No, Korra, it's Bolin's pet," he deadpans.

"Oh. But—"

"But what?"

"I thought you were supposed to be a ferret."

"You have got to be kidding me." It's barely a whisper under his breath, but still, she hears it, and it makes her give an indignant puff.

"I am— _hiccup_ —not to be kidding you!" she spouts almost childishly, flailing her arms. "I am serious, very much— _hiccup_ —serious!"

"No, Korra," he replies, putting his hand back onto her shoulder. "You're not serious—you're  _drunk_."

"I think I heard you tell Bolin that already! Stop reusing your lines!"

"Well, I wouldn't have to repeat my words if you two would stop getting drunk off your asses—"

"Oh!" she cheers, interrupting him. "I think you have a nice ass, too, Mako-ferret!"

"But I didn't say anything about my—"

"Oh, you implied it—"

"Korra,  _no_ , I really didn't—"

"So you think I don't have a nice backside?"

"No! I think you—okay, you know what, I am  _not_  getting into this conversation with you because you're just going to forget about it once you get over your drunken state and I have to deal with the trauma of talking to you about something crude!"

She stands up again and drags her up with him, shoving him roughly on the door with this fierce expression in her blue eyes, and he gulps nervously. "Korra, let me go—"

"No, because you're a ferret and I want to kiss you right now—"

"What does that have to do with anything?" he rasps out, exasperated—mostly at the fact that he can't escape from her vice grip on him.

"Does that mean you're okay with me kissing you?"

"Korra, I'll say this for the last time:  _you're drunk_ —"

For a few seconds, she's silent as she contemplates over what he has just told her. Then, she shrugs noncommittally and says, "I'd still want to kiss you even if I wasn't." And before he can argue—not that he  _wants_  to contradict her statement or anything—she presses her lips sloppily on his and keeps both of her hands firmly planted on his chest so that he doesn't struggle.

But he doesn't. In fact, he returns it with as much fervor and, after taking control, turns it into a half-decent kiss. His hands are on her waist, pulling her closer to him, and both her hands are lost in his hair. It takes them a few minutes to get over the initial awkwardness, and soon enough, he's sucking some skin on her neck and she's growling every so lowly and—

"Shit, you two, it's been fifteen minutes already!"

"Yeah, let others have some time in there, too!"

Korra, irritated at the rather rude interruption, punches the doorwith much force that it ends up flying to the other side of the room, exposing the two of them in their vulnerable post-make-out states.

"Ew, Mako, Korra," Bolin gives them a look which shows how appalled he is at the sight of both of them like that. "I think I might start seeing a counselor now."

"Oh." It takes Korra a few beats for her to gather herself—though she is  _still_  slightly drunk and all— and for her to push Mako away. Everyone else in the room are now looking at them and she winces and blushes—which Mako would have found endearing if he was still looking at her, but  _no_ , he was staring at the other side of the room where a body was crushed under the door Korra decided to bend away.

"Oops."


	6. apologize

#2:  _apologize_  (Korra)

* * *

She figures that the least he could do for being a terrible boyfriend is apologize—because those half-assed apologetic looks he sends her way? Yeah, they don't mean anything.

 _Sorry we couldn't go out today because of training. Sorry I don't do public displays of affection. Sorry that my priorities are just really screwed up and you kind of go second to my scarf_.

Sometimes she just wants to burn everything around him if only to make him realize that he  _has_  her—but the thought of him being angry with her and breaking up with her crosses her mind, and she suddenly loses hope in her plans.

He's usually sincere and she usually forgives him for those things, but sometimes he can just be a freaking  _jerk_.

_Sorry I can't match your expectations in bending, Avatar! Sorry you grew up with better conditions than I did! Sorry if I don't think you can handle this!_

She knows that he doesn't mean to offend her—but there's always that sarcasm and the underlying hint of jealousy in his tone, and it just adds to the hurt.

_You know what? Maybe we should just call it quits._

When they fight during practice or in the middle of sparring matches, she's not sure what he's referring to.

But she doesn't cry or confront him about it. No, she's too prideful for that. And she thinks that compared to what they had to go through before they were officially together (Bolin going missing, the Equalist revolution, winning the pro-bending tournament, and jealousy issues over someone's ex named Howl), these issues were pretty petty.

She knows that if she just keeps it all inside her, she'll break down one day, but still she chooses to ignore that fact and put on a smile when she's with him because she's genuinely happy that she has him. She likes to think that this was just a bad month for them both, that it's just a bump in the road, and in the long run, they'll be really amazing together.

Except, nothing changes when a year passes by and he, he  _simply forgets_  about their anniversary, and that's the first time she cries in front of him and runs away before he can apologize.

This time, she's the one who says sorry.

_Sorry I thought we could work out._


	7. serendipity

#20: _serendipity_  (Korra)

* * *

You didn't believe in predestination or anything like that. Maybe your past selves did, but then again, you're the kind of person— _reincarnation_ —to ignore tradition and norms. You thought,  _screw those_ , because this was your lifetime to spend and you were your own person despite what other people said about your soul just being recycled or something.

So you were yourself and hid from things that screamed  _Avatar expectation_  or  _responsibility to the world_  because you were only seventeen—you didn't think you should be burdened with these things. You just wanted to be like every other normal teenage girl who worried about boys and their figure. (Not that you've ever had problems with the latter, but still.)

You ran away from the compound in the South Pole. You got to stay in Republic City. You flagrantly disobeyed orders and swam to the Pro-Bending Arena.

Sometimes you weren't sure what exactly you werere doing or what you wanted in your life or what you expected to get from doing what you did, but your instincts told you to dive headfirst into things anyway.

You wanted to see what a match was like.

You didn't expect to fall in love.

(But of course, that came after many other events.)

You realized it too late—and in the worst possible way, too. (Because being jealous and  _kissing_  him after another girl tried to hit on him was totally a smooth move for you.) And you laughed bitterly because:  _Oh, the spirits are trying to make this entertaining for them—well I'll show them_.

You retaliated by hiding back in the compound.

You were nineteen, and despite all the meditation you've done, you still didn't believe in kismet.

Master Katara told you that your destiny would be in Republic City.

Well, apparently, it— _he_ —followed you all the way to your house in the South Pole.

And you thought,  _oh great_ , because you were starting to consider that there was a thing called fate—and it was definitely pulling the strings to get you two together. You tried all the precautions necessary, but still  _he_  had to ruin everything.

(But you didn't mind at all.)

 


	8. naming a pet

#14:  _naming a pet_  (Mako)

* * *

"Can we keep her?"

"No."

"Oh, come on—she's  _adorable_!" she exclaims, hugging the poor creature closer to her chest. "And I don't think Pabu would mind having another fire ferret around the attic. Please, Mako, I will do  _anything_  if it means we get to keep her."

For a second, he considers her.  _Did she say anything_? But no, his resolve is strong (not surprising as he  _is_  Mako) and he says, "Korra, no, I'm tired of having to clean up after Bolin's pet. I don't want to have another one shitting all over the place—"

"Oh, she won't! She'll be a good ferret!" she immediately defends with her trademark pout and slightly glazed eyes. She bats her eyelashes at him—and  _oh_ , how he hates her sometimes—then redirects her gaze back to the ferret in her arms. "Won't you, err… Mako, she needs a name."

"It doesn't need one," he scoffs and walks ahead. "It's not staying with us."

"But, Mako!" She catches up and stops right in front of him and practically shoves the ferret to his face. "I want her!"

He sighs and then gently pushes her arms away. "Naga will be jealous."

"Naga's been a spoiled brat lately."

"And this kind of behavior from you will only encourage her—"

"There, I have one:  _Makorra_!"

"What kind of name is that?" The look he gives her is more ridiculous than incredulous—it would have been comical to her if she wasn't so keen about keeping the damned ferret as a pet. "Seriously,  _Makorra_?"

"It's both our names combined! Mako and Korra—Makorra!" The grin on her face makes him have an internal struggle, and— _no, Mako, don't give in!_  "It's only proper since we both found her."

He thinks that it was cute of her to think of putting their names together like that, but his fondness for her could not surpass his irritation at the moment—not yet, at least. "Pabu's Pabu and not Boko or Malin or something as inane. Makorra's a stupid name."

"Makorra…" Ignoring him, she coos at the ferret and smiles in delight when it responds to the name and climbs up to perch itself on her shoulder. "See, she likes it! We get to keep her!"

And he smiles back— _only slightly_ —and sidesteps her.

"You're crazy."

Once she falls into step with him, she reaches for his hand and entwines her fingers with his.

"That's why you like me, hm?

 


	9. understand

#27:  _"What don't you understand? I won."_ (Mako and Korra)

* * *

There was nothing she wanted more at the moment than to wipe that smug grin off that handsome face of his.

"No," she said through gritted teeth after she was able to climb back up to the stadium. "I don't believe it, no! This calls for a rematch and you know it!"

"Avatar Korra, ladies and gentlemen," he said to the imaginary crowd around them with a smirk still on his face. He hadn't felt so confident about himself in a while (mostly because Korra was such a show off with her bending prowess) and their current situation amused him greatly. "What don't you understand? I won."

"No, you didn't—"

He gave her a pointed look which was enough to silence her for a few more beats.

"Okay, so maybe you did—"

"Yes, Korra, I did," he sighed with the minutest irritation. When will this girl understand that she can't have everything? "And quite frankly, I'm tired because you had to put up a fight. So could you give it up and we'll call it a day and I'll head off to the showers—"

"You kissed me!" she screamed while poking an accusatory finger at his chest. "And then you pushed me away such that I fell on my ass, off into the waters!"

"I can't kiss my girlfriend?" he asked innocently, trying his best to make that funny face Bolin uses on some girls while not bursting into laughter at her priceless expression.

"No—oh, you know what I mean! We were sparring, and that was a foul!"

"Says who?"

"Says me! H-Hey! Mako, don't you dare walk out on me while I'm trying to scold you!"

He was already a good meter or so away from her when he had to turn around to face her. Coolly, he replied, "I'm team captain. I do the scolding around here."

"Well, who died and made you captain?"

"Well, who died and made you Avatar?"

A minute passed with the two of them both silent. When Mako realized what he had said, it was too late—the damage had been done. Korra was already on her knees, clutching her side and with tears in her eyes.

"Oh— _oh!_  Please tell me you did not just ask that," she said in between her loud guffawing. "Of all the things you could ask— _ha!_  Spirits, Mako, if you could just…ask that  _again_ , I'll be okay. I swear! I will be— _okay_ , no it's still funny."

Five minutes later and she was still laughing, but this time she was rolling on the floor.

"Whatever. I'm leaving," he grunted, having lost all of the pride he had collected for just a minute after she fell off the stadium.

"Oh, but  _Mako_! Come back here!"

"Don't talk to me."

Just before he could step onto the lift, Korra caught up to him and…hugged his ankle.

"Korra, what are you doing on the floor?"

"I crawled my way to you because I couldn't get up," she replied with a few chortles here and there. "Help me?"

With a little indignation, he did. He grabbed both of her arms and hoisted her up to her feet. "You should know that I don't really like you right now."

"Ever so straightforward, you dork," she told him. "But don't worry; I still think you're cute." She pulled him towards her and planted her lips firmly on his—almost like an encore of what he had done to her a while ago—but before he could properly respond, she bended the water below them to make a loop and locked it onto his ankle, then dragged him into the waters below.

"Please tell me you didn't see that coming!" she shouted from the lift, still howling with laughter. "Please, please, tell me that you  _didn't_  know I was going to do that to you!"

He resurfaced a second later with a frown. "Korra, I  _hate_  you."

"Nope, you  _love_  me!"

There was nothing he wanted more at the moment than to wipe that smug grin off that pretty face of hers.

 


	10. sojourn

#22:  _sojourn_  (Mako)

* * *

"Somehow, I feel like we've done this already."

They are sitting down at the park, enjoying the cool breeze from under a shade of a tree. Their backs are on Naga, and Pabu is with them, snoring lightly on the saddle.

He smiles and pulls her even closer to him—if that was possible considering they were already only millimeters apart. "Yeah, five years ago."

"We were seventeen," she says, her tone laced with wonder and disbelief. "And we weren't even together then. That feels like eons ago."

"You and Bolin were seventeen," he corrects for her. "Time passes by so quickly, huh?"

"When the world is in relative peace, I guess you could say that," she whispers with a hint of a laugh at the back of her throat. "Everything's different now, don't you agree? I mean, you're still the same jerk and city boy and you're still full of those hat tricks and all, but…when I first came here, the city felt so different."

"You just got used to it, Korra," he chuckles. "Being here for a long time dims all the lights down, I guess."

She looks up at him and stares at his eyes for the longest time.

"No, it doesn't."


	11. by the window

# 24: by the window (Mako)

* * *

When Bolin told her that they had great views from the attic, he wasn't kidding.

"This is more than great—it's amazing!" she cried out in astonishment, her blue eyes wide with delight. "You guys should've brought me up here earlier! This is a million times better than what I can see from the island!"

Mako had to stop himself from smiling along with her. He kept his lips in a straight line, showing that he was not amused by her appearance. "Korra, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was at the tower and I was looking out and I saw the arena and I kind of wanted to go here?"

"Who let you in?"

"I let myself in!" she chirped, climbing down the ledge. "Now ask me how I did that!"

"Did Bolin give you spare keys?" he asked, horrified—but still with his stoic face on. "I'll kill him later—"

"No, I flew!" She grabbed the lapels of his coat and shook him with excitement. "I flew, Mako! Well, not really  _fly_ , but I _airbended_  my way here!"

He put both of his hands on hers and pushed her away gently. "Korra, that's  _great_ , but it's three in the morning and quite frankly, what you've done is  _illegal_. I have half the mind to call the cops— _Chief Bei Fong_ —on you."

"You don't even have half of your mind this early in the morning," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Mako simply glowered at her sulking figure.

"Fine," he rasped out with a wince. " _Congratulations_ —"

"Yes! I knew you would say that!" She tackled him onto the ground and wrapped her arms around him gaily. "Now, I have something to show you." She stood and pulled him up with her, noting that he wasn't wearing his gloves.

"Now?" he whined, yawning. "Korra, could you at least wait until it's morning? We have training later—"

"No, Mako, we have to see it now," she said impatiently. When they were both on the ledge of the attic, she looked at him expectedly. "Did you know that you could fly with your firebending? Like, fire from your feet, propel yourself, and—"

"Korra, I am  _not_  going to do that."

"I wasn't asking you to!" She turned her torso and took in the whole sight of the city again before sighing, "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Anyway! On the count of three, we're going to jump! One, two…"

Before she could finish counting up to three, she was jerked back to the floor of the attic. She looked up and saw Mako gritting his teeth, obviously appalled at her idea—though she wasn't sure if it was because he thought it was another reckless thing of hers or because he wanted to do the counting.

"What gives?" she shrieked, slapping the hand he wrapped around her wrist away. "Mako, stop freaking out over everything—"

"You haven't mastered airbending yet, Korra! Spirits know that you can't handle lifting two people—"

"It's not a matter of _lifting_  two people! It's  _controlling_ the  _air_  beneath the two people—"

"You know what I mean!" he snapped, covering his yawn with the hand she struck. "Korra, next time? Give it a month or two, when I'll be confident I wouldn't be falling with you. I mean—" He paused, confused with his own words. After he was sure that he didn't mention anything about his feelings for her, he continued, "Yeah. Come back in two months with your airbending skills and come back in three hours for practice." He walked to the door and pulled it open with a glare. "Good night—morning, whatever. Bye, Avatar Korra."

She pouted— _he hated that pout_ —and stomped angrily, childishly to the doorway. "Bye, you  _jerk_."

He promptly slammed the door to her retreating back. After making sure it was locked, he turned around and stifled another yawn. He was too tired and sleepy to be dealing with Korra so early in the morning. Trudging slowly up the stairs that led to his room, Mako let a small smile flit on his features for a second before succumbing to another yawn.

Spirits, he was  _tired_.

"Okay, I told myself I was going back to the island, but—"

Mako tripped down the stairs as he turned around too quickly to face the source of his deprivation of sleep. When he was sure that it wasn't just a trick played by his mind, he stood up and dusted his coat—he was quite bare underneath, other than a pair of shorts. "Korra, how the hell did you get in this time?"

Korra was still wincing. "Wouldn't that wake up Bolin?"

"He literally sleeps like a rock, that baby," he muttered, clutching onto the sidebar of the stairs. "Korra,  _again_ , how—" He paused when he saw that she wasn't wearing those thick fur-lined boots of hers. "Where are your shoes?"

"Somewhere down the corridor. I didn't want to walk all the way down and take a ferry," she replied casually, sitting down on the ledge again.

"That doesn't answer anything," he pointed out, shaking his head in his hand. This girl was definitely crazy.

"It means I firebended my way here, duh. I couldn't wear my boots because I would burn them, so I left them there. I'm not a master airbender, but I'm definitely a master firebender." She raised her brows suggestively and winked at him. "So what do you say, city boy? Bet you've never seen the city like that—"

"No."

"Please?"

"I said no."

"You're no fun."

"I'm just passive."

"Yeah? Well, you put the ass in passive, you…you ass!" She pulled at her hair and groaned—there were only a few times she let him get under her skin and _now_  was one of them. She knew of her disability to think of retorts, and it frustrated her to no end. "You don't trust me, do you?"

He bit his lip—so she was pulling out the trust card  _now_? It was an unstated rule that as teammates, they had to trust each other—him and Bolin with her, especially, because she knew of their past and current struggles. Spirits, he  _hated_  her sometimes. He walked slowly and lifted himself onto the edge. He swallowed all his reservations and with a sigh, he asked, "On the count of three?"

 


	12. impression

#9:  _impression_  (Korra)

* * *

The first time she heard his name, she found it weird. Mako was apparently this hotshot new player in the pro-bending scene and was quickly climbing the ranks of the best firebenders in the ring. Whenever she went up to the roof of the guard house at the compound to eavesdrop on their radio (because the spirits know  _why_ she was forbidden to keep one of her own) when it was time for a match, she would hear his name—either because the firebender of one team would be compared to him or because he was playing himself (though it made no sense to her that professional players would be compared to some amateur rookie).

She began to form this delusion that Mako was this amazing player—down to earth, strong, popular? It fueled her desire to go to Republic City and watch a match and maybe even meet him and the rest of the Fire Ferrets. So when she decided to run away and go to the arena, and when she actually got the opportunity to see how he played…

Well, you could say that she felt crushed.

 _Oh, you're still a jerk?_  She made a face at him and decided that he was the worst person on the planet. But that didn't really deter her from accepting the offer his brother made of joining the team permanently. She found that though they didn't really get along (she couldn't impress him no matter how hard she tried; all she ever got rom him was a  _not bad_ ), she still appreciated the company (because friends! She finally had two of her own) and enjoyed the experience of pro-bending.

The next week, when she helped him rescue Bolin, she took back what she said about him.  _Amon_  was the worst person on the planet. But eventually, after a lot of struggles and battles, they were able to settle him and the revolution—at least temporarily.

She kissed him, once, because she thought she was going to lose him. They never discussed it afterwards, but now she just wanted to do it again.

 _You're right, this is amazing_ , he said while still clutching onto her arms ( _finally_ , she's impressed him). They were both trembling because of the cold and holding onto each other was an excuse to find warmth a hundred meters over Yue Bay. That or it was reassurance that she wouldn't carelessly unbend the air keeping him up to let him fall. (Her previous incarnations know that she wouldn't ever attempt to do that to him purposely—and she thought she had enough teasing from Aang every time she meditated.)

 _Thank you_. The smile on his face made him look like a total idiot—which he was in actuality, but then again, not all idiots could say they were flying above Yue Bay. And she was very giddy earlier on, eager to get him out to see the view, but now that he was  _here_  with her, she felt so nervous.

 _You could thank me by cancelling practice today_ , she tried to tease back. He gave a roguish grin—something he must have picked up from the other boys in the streets (and she thought,  _spirits, could you stop being adorable because anymore and I might drop us both into the cold water, oh no_ ).

The look he gave her is one of concern—and inside, she melted some more.  _Shouldn't we be going back? I would love to stay here forever because—it's amazing—but you're tired, aren't you?_

She shook her head.  _No! I'm the Avatar; I was born to do this!_  (She was lying, she knew, but she really couldn't think of any other argument and it wasn't helping that the way he playfully raised a brow at her was  _killing_  her.) He laughed, letting his hands slide down from her upper arms to her wrists.

 _Korra, I…_  He started to lower his head to match her height and she could just feel her heartbeat racing and her eyes fluttering and  _everything_. When their lips were only a millimeter apart—when she could already freaking  _taste_  him—a sudden gust of wind blew.

It wasn't strong enough to break her concentration from bending the air beneath them, but it was apparently strong enough to blow away the scarf he had loosely thrown over his neck. Her eyes went wide and she reached out for it with a hand…

Which released her hold on the air and they started to fall.

They were both screaming and panicking because—free-falling from such a height? It would scare the shit out of you. One of her hands held the red scarf while the other was being held tightly by the obviously terrified Mako. The least she could do was to soften the water below them for when they hit it, but instead she found herself being pulled to him.

He was hugging her closely to his chest and she could feel him quivering from his laughter. (Laughing! He was falling a good hundred meters and he had the gall to  _laugh_?)

 _I love you_ , he said somewhere in his mirth. And she started to laugh along because it  _was_  admittedly funny. In the span of a year, he was able to fall in love with her. (Ironically, this kind of falling? It only needed some convincing on her part.)

And she loved him, too. She just couldn't say it underwater.

 


	13. dolls

#8:  _dolls_  (Ikki and Jinora)

* * *

"Oh, Mako, you drive me  _crazy_!"

"Korra, you're infuriating as well, but I love you so much!"

A round of high-pitched giggles echoed throughout the enclosed living area. Ikki and Jinora clamped their hands over their mouths and stifled their laughter, not wanting to get caught.

"But, wait, who is this—?"

"Beep, beep! Get out of the way!"

"Oof! That hurts!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"Yes, no—oh. You're pretty!"

"My name's Asami Sato!"

"I'm Mako—"

"Get away from my man!"

"Korra, what are you doing here?"

"Mako, I thought you loved me? Why are you with her?"

"Korra, you don't understand! She just ran me over!"

"Then why are there hearts all around—yeah, Jinora, where did you get those hearts?"

Jinora's lips fell into a straight line at the interruption of their dialogue. Rolling her eyes at her younger sister, she replied, "I cut them out earlier along with the motorcycle cut out."

"Oh! Makes sense." Ikki shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, where were we? Mako, you love Asami, don't you? Is it because she's rich and pretty and nice-smelling and has that awesome bike thing which daddy—I mean Tenzin won't let me ride?"

"Yes! I mean no. Korra, I love you and only you! No one else can drive me crazy like you do!"

"Oh, Mako, you drive me crazy, too!" Ikki squealed and thrust the face of the doll in her hand to the one her older sister had in hers. "I'm sorry I accused you of liking Asami! Here, let me kiss that ugly look on your face away!"

Jinora smiled and laughed. Ikki, distracted with making the two dolls make out, dropped the other doll in her hand.

"I think this is enough kissing, Jinora," Ikki complained after a while, rubbing her sore wrist with her free hand. "It's disgusting to imagine the two of them doing this!"

"No, Ikki, it's fine. They go on longer in actuality—"

" _Oh, Bolin! I totally have a little girl crush on you! Please come back to Air Temple Island with more sweets next time!_ "

" _Of course, Jinora, anything for my lady!_ "

Jinora fell out of her bed when she heard the awkward giggling from the other side of the door. Ikki shrieked and threw both dolls as far away from her as possible.

"Jinora, the dolls are speaking and they're not Mako and Korra anymore!"

The older airbending sister stood up and flicked her wrist, making a gust of wind open the door of their shared room, revealing the two people she and Ikki were impersonating earlier on.

" _Thank you so much, Bolin! Here, let me give you a kiss on your cheek because I don't think anybody else is looking!_ "

"Hi, guys," Jinora laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. She looked behind her to ask for Ikki's support, but she had already left by jumping out the window. "So…how was pro-bending practice?"

"By that, she means sucky-face time!" Ikki's little head popped out of the window, then disappeared back down. Seeing the couple's irritated expression on their faces, Jinora took a step back and followed her sister's escape route.

Besides, she was too old for dolls.

 


	14. practice

#26:  _practice_ (Mako)

* * *

Mako's decided that he's had enough of her pacing back and forth in front of him, so he stands and puts his arm out to stop her. Korra skids to a halt when his hand slightly tapped her neck, and glares up at him.

"Korra, you're not helping."

"I  _will_  help. Just let me  _think_ ," she says and pushes his arm away. For another minute, she just walks the same meter. Mako stands still, looking at her irritatedly with his arms crossed over his chest. Suddenly, Korra swivels and jumps in place, snapping her fingers. "There, I have it!"

"Yes?" Mako now regrets coming to her for advice.

"Just pretend I'm Asami and say whatever you have to say," she tells him, her confidence in her scheme showing all over her face. "It can't be that hard, right? I mean, with you dreaming about her every second, I don't see why—"

"Korra, it's not—" She cuts him off by putting a finger on his lips and shaking her head.

"I'm Asami, remember?"

"Asami," he sighs. "I want you to know that I…"

Korra bats her eyelashes and pouts—Mako finds this very endearing, but he doesn't have it in him to laugh at her attempt to be the nonbender. "That you, Mako…?"

He chokes at the words he can't get out of his throat. He really,  _really_  doesn't want to do this anymore. Not with her, at least. Maybe if he tried with Bolin instead…

"Admit it. You like me." His eyes snap back to Korra's—which were flashing dangerously. She has definitely gotten out of character by the way she put her hands on her hips and was leaning towards him—it was almost as if she was  _mocking_  him.

He looks away and blushes. "Korra, I—"

"I'm Asami!" she huffs in exasperation and pulls at her ponytails. "Mako, this isn't working. I'm sorry, I tried, but you're hopeless. I'll see you down in ten minutes, okay?"

He watches her climb down the stairs out of their apartment.

"I like  _you_."

 


	15. skinny love

#4:  _skinny love_ (Bolin)

* * *

A list of things Bolin wants right now (and by right now, he means  _now_ ):

1\. His favorite dumplings

2\. For Asami to go on a date with him

3\. A girl fire ferret he could make Pabu marry

4\. A green scarf to match the one Mako wears

5\. For Mako and Korra to just freaking get together already

* * *

i.

Bolin could count the number of times he has had his favorite dumplings in the past year on one hand.  _Thrice_ , he's had it three times though he's craved for them at least ten times more than that. He acknowledged it as a luxury that they could afford when Mako decided he has spare money for that, but now that they've won the tournament and that they have all the winnings at their disposal, he's wondering  _why he doesn't have dumplings right now_.

He would go get some for himself if he could—he didn't know where exactly the stall was located. All he knew was that Mako brought it back from the power plant. Was it from an adjacent street? somewhere farther down the road? He really didn't know, and it depressed him even more.

"I want dumplings," he mumbled idly from their new couch, a pout on his face.

"What was that, bro?" Mako was sitting at the kitchen counter with the day's newspaper.

"I want dumplings," Bolin repeated and stood up from his seat with a new look of resolve on his face—that was, determination to eat dumplings. "I want to eat my favorite dumplings."

Mako put the paper down and looked at him oddly. "Bolin, we just had lunch—"

"Mako, I want those dumplings!"

"What's wrong with you?" Mako laughed; Bolin took it as an insult. "Dumplings? Come on, Bo, you've never been this spoiled before."

And Bolin agreed that he was acting like a petulant seven year old. He had always tried not to be a burden to his older brother when they were younger because he always felt guilty about him having to take care of him, but now he that they were older and Bolin was sure that he could already take care of himself, he had no provocations about acting like he was.

"I want dumplings."

"Bolin, the power plant's far away. I have to take a bus to get there and I—"

"Mako, I want dumplings."

"Next week, I'll get you dumplings—"

"No, I want them now."

Aggravated, Mako groaned and put a hand to ruffle his hair. "Bolin, I don't know what's gotten into you, but I think it's best if you just cool off."

"A firebender is telling me to cool off! That is  _priceless_ ," Bolin retaliated, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. "If you don't get me those dumplings, I will…lock myself in my room and not eat anything for the next few days."

He didn't really want to resort to using an ultimatum, but he was really craving for dumplings. (Cravings tended to do that to people.)

He swore he saw Mako twitch before standing up and giving in to his request. "Fine, Bro. But just because I love you."

"And you have to take Korra with you," he added before Mako could leave their apartment. "So that you can take Naga."

Mako looked queasy with the new order. "I don't think that's such a good idea. She might be meditating—"

"She prefers you over meditating," Bolin commented, noting the blush on his older brother's cheeks after he said that. "Not that it should mean something, but she'll follow you if you asked her to. And you obviously like her, so."

"I'm not going to ask her to—"

"Oh, you  _are_."

Mako gritted his teeth. "Fine. Anything else?"

"You have to be back at four," he said; Mako's eyes widened.

"Four? Bolin, that's three hours from now."

"I. Will. Lock. Myself. Up."

"Okay, okay! Just—" Mako took in a deep breath to calm himself. "What is up with you?"

"I want dumplings!" Bolin cried, gesticulating at the table and at his stomach and flapping circles with his arms. "Mako, I want dumplings and Korra has to be with you when you buy them, and you have to be back three hours from now because I want to have my dumplings at four!"

"I can't just leave at three and be back by then?"

"No, you have to leave now," Bolin deadpanned uncharacteristically with a glare. "And I will know whether or not Korra is with you." He marched up to his brother and opened the door, shoved him out and closed it again.

But now that Bolin was alone, he wasn't so sure if he still wanted those dumplings.

* * *

ii.

"I'm starting to think that you do this to people on purpose," Bolin half-whined, half-grunted as he sat up from the rough pavement. "Asami, how many people have you ran over in your whole life?"

"Just you and Mako," she answered, offering her gloved hand. She was also shaking her head with an embarrassed grimace. "Oh, Bolin, I'm so, so sorry."

Bolin tried to hide the blush on his cheeks by looking elsewhere.  _Just don't look at her, she's so beautiful, she'll never give you a chance since she was with Mako_. These thoughts quickly clouded in his mind, making him sulk inside.

Asami seemed to notice the sudden change in disposition of Bolin. "Hey, you okay? I mean, besides me hitting you with my moped and all that. I'm pretty sure you're fine, tough guy."

_Tough guy! She called him a tough guy!_

"Y-yeah," he managed to croak out with a cough. "So, how have you been?"

"Oh, nothing's changed, really," she answered with a light chuckle, pushing her bike to the side while taking cautious steps with him. "And you?"

He coughed nervously. "Good, really! Ever since…you know, winning the tournament and all that."

"Of course." She smiled again, and Bolin understood why Mako was so infatuated with her before. Though, he was sure that for his brother, it was only up till that kind of attraction—Bolin was definitely in love with her. "And how are Mako and Korra?"

Bolin started dwindling with his fingers. He huffed, "Oh, you know. Nothing's changed."

Asami sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "It's been months since I broke up with him. I specifically told him to go after her, that dork! Why can't he just make a move and make everyone happy? I'm sure Councilman Tenzin and his family would also love for them to get together."

"Ikki and Jinora especially," he commented with a hearty laugh. "They're probably the biggest supporters of their imaginary relationship."

"People can't see what's under their noses," Asami said, stopping before they could turn a corner. Bolin skidded and almost tripped on his own two feet, but Asami was there to hold him up properly. "You okay?"

"I think that's the hundredth time you asked me that already, Asami," Bolin chuckled anxiously. "Anyway, you were saying?"

Asami took a deep breath. "How about we go to dinner? Just you and me? Or maybe we could try to bring along the two idiots in case you'll find it awkward…"

Bolin couldn't believe what he was hearing from her.  _Was she asking him out?_  He nodded excitedly, his green eyes lighting up. "Yeah, yeah, of course! That'd be really cool—not that you're not cool. What I meant to say was that it would be…awesome! Yeah, awesome. Totally."

"So it's a date?" Asami's almond-shaped eyes looked up at him expectedly, a small shy glint noticeable somewhere in the light green. "You don't have to call it that if you don't want to…"

"No, no!" Bolin's hands immediately shot up. "It's a…date."

When they rounded the corner, they both had to stop their jaws from dropping.

* * *

iii.

A scream and a loud thud later, the cloud of dust started to clear and Bolin was finally able to make out the perpetrators of the broken wall. And when he saw it, he couldn't help but bursting into laughter. Asami, who he had pushed back to cover her from the small explosion, took a peek and giggled as well.

"You two are crazy." Bolin stopped himself from rushing to his semi-conscious brother on the ground.

"He drove me crazy first!" Korra screamed, pointing at the groaning Mako. (But honestly, everyone  _loves_  a groaning Mako.)

Bolin and Asami shared a look of amusement before laughing again.

"Korra, we're not accusing anyone of anything," Asami told her with an encouraging smile. "Really. Except, maybe, for the damage done to this building."

Mako, unaware of the ongoing conversation, struggled to get up from the rubble—and when he did manage to get his bearings, he immediately chastised Korra. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

The Avatar in question, who wasn't really in the mood to argue with him when she's just ruined private property, simply shrugged and pointed to the amused couple, Bolin and Asami. Mako, upon seeing them, blushed and glared at Korra before coughing out, "Hi, Bo. Asami."

"Hello, Mako," Asami replied for the both of them. "How have you been?"

"Good. And you?"

"Oh, now that I've seen you and Korra, better." Asami looked to her left to see Bolin's grin of approval. "So, you two, huh?"

Korra was the first to react. "You didn't see anything!"

"You mean they saw us—?" Mako questioned, backing away slowly from the other two teenagers. "Like, you know?"

"Yep." Korra nodded nervously, before whispering to him, "That's kind of why I threw you to the wall."

"Oh."

"Well, don't mind us!" Bolin said, stretching his arms awkwardly. "You know, we were just passing through—"

"Bolin, what are you doing here?"

"Walking, obviously."

"No,  _what are you doing here_?"

"I told you, bro; I was walking and I saw Asami and—"

"You made me fetch Korra to get your dumplings—"

"And you have them! Thank you so much, Mako!"

" _Bolin_."

The younger one of the fabulous bending brothers shot his hands up in defeat. "Okay. I wanted to look for the dumpling stall myself," he started to explain while rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "And then Asami ran me over—but before you could react! It didn't hurt at all! Surprisingly."

Mako scoffed and looked at his ex-girlfriend pointedly. "Really now, Asami?"

"I apologized?" she offered meekly, still beaming.

Korra, feeling awkward with her three friends, turned around and poked Mako's chest—all while glaring up at him. "This is all your fault."

"You were the one who held my hand first," Mako pointed out with a grin that was nothing short of smug. Korra decided to take her glare up a notch.

"Yeah, but you like me—" She was cut off midsentence when she felt a strong hand push her, making her tumble into Mako's chest. Mako, reacting promptly, caught her arms and held her up. "Oof, what—?"

"It's another fire ferret!" Bolin squealed like a little girl, holding the red creature in his hands. "A fire ferret! On Korra's back! How did you know that I wanted a fire ferret?"

Korra wanted to admonish him for pushing her—and by admonish, she meant punch him back, but then she saw how his face lighted up while gushing over the pet she found a few blocks away. "Her name's Makorra."

Asami easily picked up on this. "Makorra? As in Mako and Korra?"

The pair blushed and looked elsewhere—anywhere, really, as long as it wasn't the other they could see. This only proved Asami's point and she asked, "Would you like to join me and Bolin? We were going to the park just now. Right, Bolin?"

Her question was left hanging as Bolin was skipping in the middle of the road while swinging the girl fire ferret in his hands.

* * *

iv.

After dropping off Makorra at the apartment, they all head off to the park to walk. Mako and Korra have kept a certain distance from one another—though they were still in step with each other. Bolin and Asami stayed a few steps behind them to observe the pair that was acting weirdly.

Asami's lips formed a thin line. "I didn't expect them to behave like this."

"They've gotten better," Bolin assured her. "After you and Mako broke up, they didn't talk to each other for a whole month. Then at some point, they started to hang out again."

"But they've confessed already?"

"No." Bolin frowned. "They're obviously in love with each other, but none of them want to act on their feelings. I had expected Korra to make a move since she was the more impulsive one, but nothing."

"Well, how about we give them a push?" Asami suggested, hooking her arm with Bolin's. The pro-bender flinched, but relaxed into her hold. "I already have a plan."

Bolin looked at the heiress, impressed at how quick she was with thinking of schemes—particularly schemes for his brother and his best friend. "What is it?"

"When they cross the bridge, and then you bend a brick such that Korra will fall into the lake."

"But…isn't Korra a waterbender?" Bolin asked confusedly. "What's the point of pushing her into the lake?"

"If Mako really loves her—which he does—then he won't even think twice about following her into the waters," Asami pointed out, the sides of her lips twitching up with confidence. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it's brilliant!" Bolin declared rather gaily. "Ready?"

"I should be asking you that," Asami replied with a light-pitched chortle of her own.

They both stopped in the middle of the walkway and separated themselves from each other. Both of them were smiling goofily because of their plan. They waited for Mako and Korra to be at the middle of the bridge (somehow they didn't realize that Asami and Bolin weren't behind them anymore; it wasn't surprising, really—they obviously had their own world). Bolin planted his feet on the ground and concentrated on moving a specific tile on the bridge. Motioning his arms to tilt it slightly, just enough to make Korra fall into the water, he tried his best to be gentle enough not to make the whole thing collapse.

"Korra!" When he opened his eyes, he saw that Mako had already dived off the ledge of the bridge. (He was being dramatic about it with his scarf whipping behind him—even though it was only a story high. The more you know, kids.)

Asami quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the top of the bridge, where Mako and Korra were standing just a second ago. They both leaned over the edge, waiting for the two heads to appear from the waters.

And when they did come back up, well. Korra was seething like the turtleducks that they displaced.

"Mako, you idiot; I'm a waterbender! What were you thinking?"

"I was obviously thinking that you were stupid enough to trip over your own two feet like you did—"

"It was a dislodged brick and I didn't see it!"

"Maybe if you paid attention to where you were looking instead of staring elsewhere, then you—"

"But Gumma's bush was shinier than usual today, and—"

Bolin and Asami simultaneously groaned. "Oh, for the sake of the spirits, just kiss each other already!"

And they did.

Bolin was pretty sure he was traumatized now, too.

* * *

v.

Bolin didn't get a scarf that day, but knowing that Mako and Korra were finally officially together was enough to satiate him.

His mind.

Not his stomach.

He still wanted some more dumplings.

 


	16. capsizing

#23: _capsizing_ (Mako)

* * *

" _Me_? You're blaming  _me_?"

"Yes! Because  _we_  wouldn't be here if only you—"

"No, Mako, I will tell you exactly why we're here!" Korra screamed, inching closer to her boyfriend—well,  _half-boyfriend?_ —and pushing away the finger he was accusingly pointing at her. "We're here because  _you_  were being an asshole because  _you_  thought it was okay to go around and kiss other girls when you're dating me! Well, guess what,  _cool guy_? You're stuck with me!"

Mako groaned and strained his eyes to continue to glare at his so-called girlfriend. It was a really tasking feat considering the Avatar was practiced at the art of glowering at things or people she can't punch. "Korra, I didn't kiss anyone and you know it—"

"I'm pretty sure I don't have a cheating bastard as a boyfriend—"

"Says the girl who kissed me when I was dating someone else!"

"That was four years ago;  _get over it_ —"

"No, Korra,  _you_  get over it!" Mako backed away from the small plank that supported his weight—the small boat they were on wobbled on the waters and Korra, who was still glaring back at him, bent the water beneath them to stabilize the vessel. "I didn't kiss anyone.  _You_  were imagining things, and  _you_  should stop accepting Bolin's suggestions about going to the park just to ride these stupid wooden walrus yaks!"

"It was supposed to be romantic, damn it!" Korra screeched for the nth time, pulling at her ponytails. "Why don't you ever appreciate it when I'm the one who initiates things?"

"Because  _I'm_  the guy in this relationship!"

"Yeah, right. A  _real_  man wouldn't be in a freaking walrus yak!"

"You were the one who told me you wanted to ride a boat!"

"Well, you should've known that I like long walks better than boat rides!"

Mako started to notice that the other people in boats were starting to look at them—not that the Avatar and the Fire Ferrets captain fighting, which at least fifty other people witness, wasn't a regular occurrence in Republic City, but  _still_. He was fed up with the unnecessary attention brought about by their— _her_ shouting. Calmly, he started, "Korra, I don't know what to do with you anymore."

"Maybe you should break up with me!" she suggested, her eyebrows still furrowed.

"Maybe I should." He glared back at her, not knowing what else to do. Their glaring match continued for another five minutes, with the boat awkwardly rocking with the waters under them. Mako wasn't backing down anytime soon—probably due to his manly pride, but he liked to think it was also because he wanted Korra to learn something.

And he did win. Korra's eyes shifted and suddenly she was pouting. "You…you'd really break up with me?"

Mako didn't realize that the game was over, though. "I don't know; _you_  tell  _me_."

For a brief millisecond, Korra's eyes glistened with tears—and this was when Mako realized that  _oh shit I'm in trouble_ —but the wetness in her eyes left as fast as it came and now the blue in her eyes turned into ice. "You  _bastard_."

"Korra, I meant—" Mako immediately attempted to correct himself, but the damage had already been done. His girlfriend— _ex-girlfriend?_  —was literally steaming and— _oh shit this was not how it was supposed to go_. Korra scooped some water from the lake and hosed him down, knocking him to the side of their ship—which was already unstable to begin with, so it wasn't much of a surprise that they started to capsize after she attacked him.

They both fell over into the waters, but Korra was a waterbender, so she didn't really have any problems with floating. Mako, however, took a good fifteen seconds to swim back up to the surface—only to blame her some more.

"No, Korra, I wasn't going to—" He paused to take in a deep breath. "Break up with you! I was supposed to ask you to marry me today, but you had to ruin it—"

"Oh!  _Me_? You're blaming me  _again_." Korra laughed while trying to bend the water to push the boat back upright. "What else is new—wait, what?"

Mako took in another breath. "I was going to ask you to marry me today, but the ring's somewhere at the bottom of the lake now and—"

It was just so like her to cut him off when he was in the middle of explaining things, by latching herself onto him and kissing him. They sank further into the lake due to their limbs being tangled; none of them bothering with the growing pressure on both of their heads. Eventually, Korra takes a second to lift her hand from his hair to bend a bubble around them, and they both parted from each other just to see the other's flustered state.

Korra grinned and reached out to hold Mako's hand. "Why don't we look for that ring now?"

 


	17. you don't understand

#30:  _"You don't understand."_  (Korra)

* * *

It's not that she didn't love him because she did. With every fiber of her being, she did—she loved him. And it just pained her so much that he didn't understand. At all.

" _You don't understand_ ," she repeated for the umpteenth time. Korra's eyes were locked onto Mako's—as they had been for the past ten minutes that they were arguing—and her tone was so soft, barely an audible whisper over the crashing waves before them. She was tired.

Mako continued to look at her, indifferent— _cool_. Because that was who he was: the cool guy who was always stable even when under pressure. The guy who could take on anything as long as he was able to think it through first. The guy who had to learn to take on anything for his younger brother.

"And you do?" he countered, his words obviously laced with irritation, but his pitch remained monotonous. Korra wanted to break away from their shared gaze and just strangle him. She knew that he loved her—he'd said it a thousand times in small, silent moments between them, and yet. It seemed like he was unaffected by their fight. He was tired, too.

"I do."

"Do you really?"

"I know enough of the situation to decide on this plan of action!" She finally cracked and tore her sight away from him, her long braided hair following her head. The snow suddenly seemed more interesting than the gold that was his eyes. "You don't understand! The Equalists are going to attack Republic City again if I don't try to subdue them. That's the power of a revolution… Those thoughts are embedded in those heads of theirs and—they're always going to be there."

"Even after almost a decade?"

" _Always_ , Mako." And she wasn't just referring to the notions Amon had spread about equality, how everyone in the world shouldn't have the power to wield elements. She was talking about her recurrent nightmares, how they never left her. "You don't understand."

Korra heard him sigh and take a step toward her. His warm, gloved hands reached up to take her chin to make her face him. He had on a soft smile—a break from the thin line on his lips earlier on. "You could give me a little more credit. I married you, didn't I?"

She laughed ever so subtly. "That's why you're such an idiot."

"And yet," he started, with a chortle of his own. "You love me."

She didn't need to give an answer to that, they both knew. It was something they mutually agreed on— _for years_. The simple truth was that they loved each other. Nothing was going to change that.

"You're right, though. I don't understand," Mako finally acquiesced. "And maybe that's why I don't want to let you go back to the city. But…I can't be selfish and keep you from the world. You're the Avatar. And you need to do what you have to—to maintain the balance or whatever."

"So you're letting me go?" She looked up at him shyly.

He nodded, albeit rather stiffly. And then placed his hand at the back of her neck and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Take care.  _Please_."

"And you take care, too," she whispered back. "And also take care of Katara. Make sure you're both safe."

"Why do I get the feeling that you don't trust our daughter with me?"

"Because you endlessly dote on her and I don't want to come back to find that she's turned into a spoiled little brat because her father kept her up with firebending lessons," she chided with a pout. Then, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her. She inhaled his unique, smoky scent—he was the only guy who smelled of fire in the tundra. "I know you can't help it because you love her. But, you love me, too, don't you?"

Mako returned her gesture and smiled against the crown of her head. " _Always_ , Korra."

 


	18. temptation

#13: temptation (Korra)

* * *

For her, dates meant excuses to have sparring matches. Because the Avatar and the captain of the Fire Ferrets weren't really known to be the most romantic couple in the city, given their history of having major fights just about anywhere. (The most infamous one was on the newspaper for a week—it was about that time she threw him into the bay and froze the surface so that he couldn't escape.)

Because she was Korra, and for someone like her, she wanted that kind of passion in her relationship. Not so surprisingly, it was only Mako who could get that kind of rise from her, so she stuck with him. For almost two years, they've been officially together—and somehow, she couldn't get enough of testing the waters, of tempting fate.

She literally jumped into fires, but he was always there to hold her back just when she needed him to. (Mako and her—they just worked in their little own weird way.)

In the earlier stages of their relationship, those weeks after she first met him—when she first  _kissed_  him, she already knew they were meant for each other. Call it intuition, call it reaching into her spiritual side to know what exactly the spirits had in mind for them—call it whatever anyone wanted, really, because it didn't change the fact that she knew, and she was  _right_.

And oh, she didn't let that go—not for a long time, she didn't. She rubbed it in his face as often as she could. How stupid he was to not see what they had, something in those lines. How foolish he was to think he was in love with someone else when she was in his life. She said many things, anything that demeaned him for his the silliness that was his face.

They argued a lot, they did, but most of the time they made up and made out and—well, they were really good at making it up to each other in other ways, too.

So he kissed her once in the middle of a fight—the first time he did that, she punched him and left him with a bloody nose because he was still angry. The second time he tried the same move; she smiled against his lips and forgave herself for being tempted to give in. (And then she promised to herself: never again—but he did the same trick, and she regretted ever applauding him for them, for his famous hat tricks.)

The month after, he proposed to her at the same spot she first kissed him at. It was a place of bad memories, a place that reminded her of how terrible some of her decisions as a teenager were, so she threw him out into the bay and essentially trapped him there so that he could 'think and repent for his actions'. When really, all he had done was love her enough to ask her to marry him.

It didn't deter him, though, because he tried again. Because it was so like him, to fight so many odds, to take so many risks,  _to tempt fate_. (It was what they were good at doing, apparently.)

It wasn't easy, but they always came out on the victor's side in the end. (Mostly her, but he counted, too.)

 


	19. ice cream

#1: _ice cream_ (Mako)

* * *

Mako hated having to babysit  _both_  Bolin and Korra. They were supposedly old enough to manage themselves, especially if it was just a trip to a newly opened ice cream parlor somewhere downtown. It's not that he had anything against ice cream, but it was that he had a terrible gut feeling that this little adventure of theirs was going to end in trouble. Not the 'run into Equalists' kind of trouble, but the kind that would end up with Korra and Bolin under the custody of the police. Again.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair in a sad attempt to style it back to the way it was thirty minutes ago. Since Asami wasn't with them, they took Naga. Korra was up front, holding the reigns and controlling where Naga was supposed to go. Bolin was right behind her, hugging her waist because he was obviously terrified of falling off of the giant polar bear dog (especially after she had unceremoniously dropped him from her mouth after him being rescued from Amon). He was the one telling her directions, and other stories about the other shops they passed along the way. Mako sat stiffly at the most back, tightly gripping the end of the saddle, like he did the first time he rid on Naga.

There were a few other more important things they all had to do, like practice for the championship finals, for one, but Bolin declared the day as their day off—from Korra's airbending training, Mako's job at the power plant, and Bolin's…well, he promised that he would try not to charm any ladies, which was what he practically did every day, so it was considerably a fair exchange for him.

But Mako could tell that he was definitely charming Korra—they were laughing like children as he pointed at different shops and waved at random people on the street. It made him feel weird, watching the two of them so easily have fun with one another. It was almost like he was jealous of his own younger brother, but…no, he shouldn't be feeling like this. Especially not when he had Asami. He acknowledged his own feelings for the Avatar, sure, but he knew that Bolin liked her, too, so it was probably for the best that he didn't pursue any non-platonic relationship with Korra. Or even entertain such a thought.

"And we're here!" Bolin declared, jumping off of the saddle first. "This is the place: Pola's Ice Cream Palace! It has a nice ring to it, huh? Pola's Ice Cream Palace? I heard the advertisement on the radio; I told you guys this place was real!"

Korra looked at the quaint store which was painted with light pastels. She let out a whistle and chuckled. "No one doubted the existence of the shop, Bolin."

Bolin, always up for dramatics, bowed and offered a hand up. "After you, milady."

"This is my polar bear dog, Bolin—I'm pretty sure I can get down on my own."

"No, no, Korra; I was talking to Mako." Bolin looked at his brother and winked at him. "Well, Mako?"

Mako frowned, and straightened his back. "You're as funny as ever, Bo."

"Hey, I try."

Korra slid down Naga's leg and slapped Bolin's shoulder lightly, clutching her stomach as she was laughing. The older of the two siblings watched with a grimace as Bolin and Korra continued to laugh at his expense. He sighed and shook his head—he knew there wasn't really anything he could do with their immaturity, so he let it pass as another joke. No matter how degrading it was for him. Mako jumped off of the polar bear dog and landed on the balls of his feet, his boots scraping on the rough pavement. He cringed, feeling how thin the soles of his shoes already were—he should probably buy a new pair soon. (Or maybe Asami would buy him one since she loved showering him with gifts.)

"Come on, you two," Mako said, grabbing his howling teammates by their sleeves. "The sooner we finish this, the better."

When Mako pulled the two through the doors, he heard the chimes above them ring. There were a few other people in the store, sitting in different booths. The other customers were either couples having a fun date or families trying out ice cream together. Mako could already imagine all the scenarios, all the different possibilities of the two disturbing everyone else in the store…

"Could you let me go?" Korra pushed him away (he was always surprised by how strong she was) and huffed. Then, she hooked her arms with Bolin's with a large grin on her face. "Come on! I want to see what it looks like!"

Mako caught up to them in front of the glass display of ice cream tubs. "You mean you've never eaten ice cream before?"

Korra seemed to take this as an insult and pouted. "What do you think, city boy? I came from that large chunk of snow. Why would I eat snow?"

"It's not really snow, Korra," Bolin pointed out. He was visibly blushing because…well, his crush was right beside him. "It's this magical thing made of sweets and rainbows and lots of love! And sugar, lots of sugar!"

"You're starting to sound like Ikki," Korra said with a chuckle, looking fascinatedly at the colorful substances in their containers. Then, a woman came out from a room that was for personnel only, which Korra assumed was used for storage. Korra unhooked her arm from Bolin's (which caused him to frown a bit) and waved at the worker to catch their attention. "Hi, we'd like to order some ice cream!"

The employee stopped and smiled at the three teenagers. She was quite tall for a girl, and she wasn't really wearing clothes suited for workers, but she was the one apparently managing the store. "What can I get for you three?"

Korra stooped down to inspect the different flavors. After a minute or two of scrutinizing the odd food, she stood back up and turned to the two brothers. "Anything you two can suggest to make my very first ice cream eating experience worthwhile?"

"Well, they seem to have seaweed flavored ice cream. Maybe you'd like that?" Mako offered uninterestedly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just choose one—it won't matter."

"What if I punch your face, Mako? Maybe it won't matter, hmm?" she rebuffed, glaring at the brooding firebender.

"Punching my face and choosing an ice cream flavor are two completely different things, Korra!" Mako replied, exasperated. He was on the verge of shouting at her, but still he kept his tone down in consideration of the other customers—unlike Korra, who was okay with screaming all the time.

"Korra?" the lady behind the counter cut in, her large grey eyes wide with anticipation. "As in Korra, the  _Avatar_  Korra?"

The young waterbender smirked confidently, pleased with the recognition yet at the same time embarrassed for the starstruck woman. "The one and only. Well, not really the only Avatar, since there's been…others before me, but anyway, yep, I'm Korra!"

The woman outstretched her hand immediately; Korra took it politely. "I'm Pola; I sort of own this store, I guess. And since I'm such a big fan of The Fire Ferrets as well, your scoops will be on the house."

"Really?" Bolin asked, his green eyes alight with the thought of free food. "As in, any flavor we want?"

"I don't see why not." Pola left to take three bowls from the countertop and spoons as well. "So what will it be?"

Bolin was the first to speak up. "Oh, chocolate! I love chocolate! I called it first, so you two can't get the same flavor as me!"

Korra turned back to the display, watching Pola scoop some of the dark brown ice cream into a wooden bowl. She found it weird how it looked soft yet hard at the same time—and she had a feeling she could bend the frozen food into little figures if she tried. But setting that thought aside, she looked up at Mako, who was also looking at the tubs in front of them. "Hey, cool guy, what are you getting?"

"I haven't really had ice cream in a while," Mako admitted, slightly uneasy with revealing these things to her. "The last time I ate a cone of this was a decade ago. When, you know…"

"Oh." Korra's expression softened with some sort of sympathy for the older guy. "Well, you don't want to waste Pola's offer, do you? You look like a vanilla kind of guy, so how about we get that for you?"

Mako ignored the warmth gathering in his gut when he saw Korra beaming at him and the urge to thank her for being  _her_  with a hug. "Sure," he said, returning her smile. "I'll take that."

After Korra and he had their bowls of ice cream (she seriously took his seaweed suggestion) and sat down in the booth with Bolin, Mako didn't fail to notice all the glances his younger brother sent at the direction of the young Avatar. They were mostly fleeting, but they were certainly there. He also saw how the earthbender didn't even make an effort to hide his smiles or to not redden so much whenever she told a joke or complimented him or just spoke.

Bolin liked Korra.

He was going to be happy with her.

And Mako had Asami.

And it was probably for the best if he forgot his own feelings for Korra.


	20. dark blue

#17:  _dark blue_  (Asami)

* * *

He thinks she doesn't know that he doesn't love her anymore, but she does.

She's known for quite a while now, actually.

Specifically, she's known for one month, thirteen days, seven hours, thirty-nine minutes. And counting.

Time goes by too quickly when no one loves you.

* * *

_Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?_

* * *

"Korra looks really beautiful tonight."

Bolin raises one of his thick eyebrows at her circumspectly with a lopsided grin; Asami would have giggled if she saw it, but she is too busy looking at the Avatar wistfully. Bolin follows her line of sight and sighs, "Korra's always beautiful."

"You're saying that because you're her boyfriend," Asami jokes, almost tripping over as Bolin took a clumsy step forward. "For someone who stays light on their toes, you're not much of a dancer, are you, Bolin?"

"Not really," Bolin replies, laughing quietly. "And no, I've always thought she was the most beautiful girl in the whole world. Not that you're not beautiful, too, Asami! As Mako put it when he first described you to me, you're  _gorgeous_."

Asami gives him a small smile. "Why, thank you, Bolin."

"You better get used to it. You're my sister now, after all."

_Sister. Right, of course._

"I didn't really get the chance to congratulate you tonight, Asami," Bolin continues, attempting to lead their slow dance. "So, congratulations! I'm really excited to finally have you as my sister!"

_Finally? So you were expecting this to eventually happen?_

"Do you think Mako would feel the same?" Asami doesn't even know she asked that until Bolin gave a confused 'huh?' to her question. She wants to slap her forehead at how stupid she must have sounded, but Bolin has a firm yet comfortable grip on her hands and she's sure he's just waiting for her to expound on her question. "I mean, if—when you and Korra…you know."

"I don't know," he answers naïvely—but in an ever so cute manner that is very Bolin. "It took me a while to convince her to give me another chance, and I want to wait some more because I don't think she's ready yet."

"Why?"

Bolin gives her this look:  _you know why._

"I mean why do  _you_  do this to yourself?" she amends, and Asami is starting to realize that  _now_  is not the time for this conversation. Not on her wedding night, because he gives her another silent answer, one that she should have expected from him anyway:  _the same reason you do this to yourself_.

"Because I love her," Bolin declares with enough confidence in his voice for him not to waver. Asami can almost hear what he's thinking:  _and you love him_.

They fall into an awkward silence, and for the beats to follow, they speak with their eyes—green meeting green, green  _understanding_  green.

_I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry, too._

_Does she still love him?_

_I think she does._

_I know he loves her, too._

When the song ends, Bolin asks her, "We're both crazy, aren't we?"

Asami nods silently in response and tucks her head under his chin as he embraces her—a comforting gesture he's done only once before, when he told her about their kiss and about how he believes his brother still has feelings for his own girlfriend.

"That's love, apparently."

* * *

_Tonight's a perfect shade of dark blue._

* * *

It's around nine o'clock when Asami retires from the dance floor and sits on the loveseat on the small stage. Mako soon follows her and takes the small space beside her— _his wife_ —and takes her into his arms. She doesn't resist because she's too tired, and she leans on his chest, calming herself by listening to his heartbeat.

He's the first to speak. "We're married."

She glances at the ring on her finger— _reassures_  herself that indeed they are, and replies, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

But Asami peeks up and sees the dark blue of Korra's dress in his eyes, and— _no, you don't_ _._


	21. fairytale

#25:  _fairytale_  (Korra)

* * *

She isn't a damsel in distress.

At least, she isn't like any of those so-called heroines from those tales some female sentries would share to her. Because those girls waiting for some skilled warrior to come along and save them from the clutches of evil people? They were just pathetic. A real heroine for her would be someone like Katara, someone who actually did her part in saving the world. Katara is strong-willed and compassionate and brave and amazing. She's everything Korra wants to be.

Korra doesn't believe in relying on anyone to save her, to catch her if ever she falls.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't pray to the Spirits every day for someone— _anyone_ —to whisk her away from her lonely life in the compound.

And when she realizes that no one is coming to rescue her, she jumps at the opportunity to go to the city by herself.

* * *

The moment she sets her eyes on him, the word that comes to her mind is  _prince_. The fact that her head makes that kind of connection—relating his whole person to that of royal blood—is unsettling. Mako is tall, handsome, and the way his golden eyes would sweep over others as part of some weird ritual of his wherein he thoroughly inspects every person he meets is  _fascinating_. Slightly condescending, but interesting, still.

But then he speaks to her— _oh, you're still here?_ —and suddenly the perfect image of a gentleman is replaced with that of a fire-breathing jerkface. Because that is exactly what he is, and Korra shouldn't be falling for illusions, and she should just really focus on her learning airbending and the revolution and maybe even pro-bending, but she  _really doesn't know what to do_.

So she kisses him because she thinks it's right. He kisses her back, and it almost feels like a fairytale where she can live happily ever after, where she doesn't have to face conflicts, but as soon as the slight pressure of his lips on hers is gone, she's brought back to reality.

And reality, Korra's learning from the city, is just a series of heartbreaks and teenage drama and—

Geez, she's the Avatar. She doesn't have the time to deal with these things.

* * *

No one is coming to save her.

It's the same mantra ever she's told herself ever since she was young. No one is going to rescue her, but it's okay. She's the Avatar, and she doesn't need anyone to break her out of cells made out of titanium. She doesn't need anyone— _period_.

She has to save herself.

Soon enough, though, Mako finds her, beaten and tired, and he carries her in his arms, reassures her that she's safe—and this is probably the closest thing to a rescue she'll ever get in her whole life, so Korra makes sure that she tells him how she feels— _I'm so glad you're here_ —and just before she completely loses consciousness, she feels his calloused fingers caressing her cheek, tracing over her scars, and…

There's supposedly a word for how she feels, for how he makes her feel when his eyes are glazed with worry.  _Loved_.

But even  _that_  is a sentiment meant for storybooks.

 


End file.
